Spiritual direction is about comming alongside another and helping them to notice God’s work and presence in their live and their world. Jeanette Bakke writes, spiritual direction is a discipline in which, with the help of another you try to listen to your own heart and to Gods’. It is about intention and attention; I desire to hear God, so I am going to make space to give God my attention.
The purpose of spiritual direction is to become more attentive to God. It is meant to help a person learn how to heighten the awareness of God’s presence and action in his or her life and to make decisions based upon that awareness. Margaret Guenther, says true spiritual direction is about the great unfixables in human life. It’s about the mystery of moving through time. This moving through time carries with it also the idea of making progress toward God.
The Christian life is described in the New Testament, as progress. Phrases and concepts are expressed, like, enduring to the end, a race, to holiness, and to fullness of life in Christ. All describing is some fashion, movements of faith. The Scripture calls us towards perfection and to becoming like Christ Jesus. Basically, there is a call for us towards spiritual maturity. It is this process of spiritual maturing which is the purpose of spiritual direction.
Thomas Merton writes, The whole purpose of spiritual direction is to penetrate beneath the surface of a mans life, to get behind the facade of conventional gestures and attitudes which he presents to the world and to bring out his inner spiritual freedom, his inmost truth, which is what we call the likeness of Christ in his soul.
Some of you may have experienced spiritual direction, how did you find this ministry, helpful or not? How would you encourage someone to take advantage of this ministry? Any thoughts or comments?
Picture: Celtic Cross by Treve Johnson
Quotes: Jeanette Bakke as quoted in Sacred Companions: Spiritual Friendship and Direction, D. Benner and L. Crabb
Margaret Guenther, Holy Listening
Thomas Merton, Spiritual Direction and Meditation
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